<< Click to Display Table of Contents >> Navigation:  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) > FAQ - SpecView Edit Mode

 

Can I develop complex screen(s) for one instrument (e.g: Furnace1) then copy it/them for another instrument of the same type (e.g: Furnace2)?

Yes, once you have created the screen(s) for the first instrument and you are happy with them, use File->Save As... to save them to different names. Ensure the other instrument(s) are in the Variables list, either by adding them Manually, or by having initially done an auto-detect of all connected instruments. Then go to one of the newly saved screens (using File->Open) and use Edit->Replace to substitute the names (e.g: Furnace1 to Furnace2).

This will change all occurrences, but only on the current GDW so if there is more than one GDW per instrument it will need doing for each. However, it will not affect the Strategy Controller so this will need to be changed as necessary.

Double-clicking on an item on the GDW seems to have no effect, when usually it would display the relevant attributes box for that item.

- The item may be Grouped with another item on the GDW, click on the item once so that it is selected and click the Ungroup tool (detailed in the Object menu)

I can't seem to add a variable on a GDW into Recipe.

- The value and the variable's name may still be Grouped together, un-click the Recipe tool, then click on the variable and click the Ungroup tool (detailed in the Object menu)

I can't seem to edit a value's Dynamic Attributes.

- If the Dynamic Attributes menu command appears to have no effect then the value and the variable's name may still be Grouped together, click on the variable and click the Ungroup tool (detailed in the Object menu)

Changing the color of text on the screen (using Object->Text Font...) doesn't appear to have any effect.

- It is possible that the text is Grouped together with another item on the GDW, click on the item and click the Ungroup tool (detailed in the Object menu). Then select them individually.

How do I configure SpecView Networking (Remote/Local)?

- Details in SpecView Networking

What can I do if Auto detect doesn't work for my instrument?

- Use Manual Instrument Configuration

How do I do a Strategy Controller event every second?

- In the Strategy Controller create a Value Based event

- Value to watch: SpecView.Time

- Test to perform: Changed

- Value to test against will default to Constant Value: 00:00:00

How do I do a Strategy Controller event every minute?

- In the Strategy Controller create a Value Based event

- Value to watch: SpecView.Time

- Test to perform: Changed,

- With the Constant Value 00:00:59

My Variables List box doesn't appear, why not?

- It may be off screen,

- use File->Preferences Settings 'Reset Variables List Window Position'

How do I animate a graphic using the Strategy Controller?

- Set a SpecView User Variable to represent the phase of the animation.

- Create a number of shapes for the animation

- Use Edit->Color Dynamics to make the shapes change color between the background color and another color, to make them 'appear' & 'disappear' according to the value of the User Variable.

However, it is not possible to animate a bitmap.

How do I make clicking somewhere on a GDW do a button-type action?

This can be used to make a part of a GDW sensitive to a click.

- Create a polygon with Outline Weight (or line width) = 0 and position it appropriately and note its name shown in the Shape Properties box.

- Create a button and position it off-screen with the required action

- Change the caption of the button to be exactly the same as the name of the polygon (this is case sensitive).

Now clicking on the polygon will have the same effect as clicking on the button.

I've set the Fill Color of a shape but it isn't being filled, why?

- Double-click the shape & uncheck the fill-none box

Why is it that using the Edit->Paste of an object doesn't appear to work?

- It has been pasted over the top of the original, move it to one side to reveal the one beneath.

What can I do if comparing an instrument value (with decimal places) with an integer in the Strategy Controller doesn't work?

- Comparisons of variables must be between variables of the same type.

You will need to create a User Variable of type Number (with decimals) and copy the integer into it before making the comparison.

Can I copy a whole Project?

- Yes, either use Windows Explorer to copy the Project folder

- or use Archive/Restore

Adding a bitmap to a GDW makes the GDW much larger, why?

- This occurs if a bitmap is added using the Insert New Object menu command on the Edit menu.

- It is recommended to use the Insert a Bitmap tool on the toolbar (or Draw->Bitmap...) instead.

Can I write a line of text at the top of a Logfile Report?

- Use the SpecView: Write Line to file/printer action for a Button or via the Strategy Controller.

- Use this to write the line you require to a file called, say, LINE.TXT.

- Generate a log report to, say, REPORT.CSV

- Create a file called, say JOIN.BAT, containing a line something like:

COPY   LINE.TXT+REPORT.CSV   FINAL.CSV

- Then use the action SpecView: Run External Program to run JOIN.BAT.

 

How do I archive logfiles?

- There are (up to) 6 files which make up a day's logfiles: .LOG .LNM .EVT .ALM .IDX .BTC  (These are detailed further in Data Logging - Disk Space Requirements).

- Using Windows Explorer go into the Project's sub-folder and sort by name

- This will ensure that all logfiles are listed first

- These can be copied or zipped as required.

- The first part of the logfile names are in the format YY_DDD, where YY is the current year number, and DDD is the current day number within the year (starting from 000. So for: 1st January 2003 the file names will be: 03_000).

Or see the example below that uses: xcopy

How do I delete logfiles?

- The best method is to use the Strategy Controller or Button action: Logging: Purge Log Files

I am confused about the difference between Log Files and Log File Reports created by Log File Conversion.

- Log Files are automatically created and updated all the time that SpecView is in Runtime Mode. There are a set of (up to) 6 files which make up a day's data log.

- The contents of Log Files cannot be viewed directly, they must first be converted into a Log File Report using Log File Conversion.

- In order to generate a Log File Report first a Report Format will need to be setup, this defines which values in the Log Files should be listed in the Log File Report, and in what order.

- The Log File Conversion can then be done directly by a user action, either from the Logging menu during Runtime, or from the Button/Strategy Controller actions Logging: Convert Specific Log File Format or Logging: Show Log File Convert Manager.

- The Log File Report can then be viewed using any program which can read .CSV (Comma Separated Variables) files, such as Excel.

 

How can I make the Strategy Controller run another program?

- Use the action SpecView: Run external program

- It is important to include the full pathname of the program to be run, for example, C:\TEMP\MYPROGRAM

Without the full path SpecView will only look in the current Project's sub-folder in the installation folder (usually C:\SV3) for the program.

- To run a .BAT file create the file in the Project's sub-folder with the commands to be run. If you require the MS-DOS Prompt window to disappear when the .BAT file has finished then add the command 'exit' as the last line of the .BAT file. Also on the MS-DOS Prompt's properties check the 'Close on exit' box. However, note that any error messages from the running of the .BAT file may then be lost.

How do I run a DOS .BAT file from the action: SpecView: Run External Program ?

The .BAT file can be in SpecView's current Project's folder, or in a folder specified by the PATH setting in Windows, then just the filename can be used:

               Example.bat

or, if there are spaces in the name use double quotes:

               "Example Two.bat"

Similarly use double quotes around commandline parameters with spaces:

             Example.bat "This is an example with spaces"

 

Alternatively specify the full pathname, again using double-quotes if there are spaces in the name, for example:   "C:\My Documents\Example.bat"

 

Also you may wish to write the .BAT file so that any output or errors are redirected to a file and then set the 'Close on exit' property on it using Windows Explorer so that the MS-DOS Prompt window closes immediately the .BAT file has finished running.

How do I setup the Strategy Controller to do a delay (for example, 5 seconds) ?

- Create a Countdown Timer User Variable

- Set the value to 6

- Use a Value Based event to watch for the Countdown Timer becoming = 1

(Going from 6 to 1 is better than going from 5 to 0 because once it has reached 0 it will remain there)

How can I make a button on a GDW do more than one action ?

- Create a Boolean SpecView User Variable (& set it to 'Off')

- Create a button that sets the Boolean to 'On'

- Use a Strategy Controller value based event to 'watch' the boolean, when it is set to 'On' do the required actions, then as the last action set the boolean back to 'Off'.

 

How can I make a button toggle a Boolean so that successive clicks turn it On/Off/On/...?

- Set the button action to do a Math Function and subtract the Boolean from itself and store the answer in itself, for example:

Copy From: Bool1

Subtract: Bool1

Copy To: Bool1

 

What is the maximum value for an Integer or Number variable?

The ranges are detailed under SpecView User Variables.

 

How can a value be displayed on a GDW using scientific notation (showing mantissa & exponent)?

This is done using by setting the Dynamic Attributes of a variable on a GDW.

 

Opening a screen in Runtime mode with a Trend Chart; the chart is always initially blank with no pen lines. What can be done about this?

Use the 'Auto-open on Runtime' menu command from the File menu to tell SpecView to open (start) this GDW when entering Runtime Mode.

 

Also when creating buttons to change screens use GDW Control: Swap to another GDW to swap to another GDW screen without closing it and clearing the trace line(s), instead of using GDW Control: Close this and Swap To GDW, which is intended for use with infrequently used GDW screens, such as setup screens that don't contain Trend Charts.

 

How can a screen (GDW) be printed to an Adobe PDF (Portable Document Format) file?

Firstly Adobe Acrobat (or another program that can create PDF files) needs to be installed on the PC.

Then there are 2 ways of doing this:

1. By using either the Print or Print Setup menu commands from the File menu, because when Adobe Acrobat is installed it will be shown in the list of printers and can be selected to create a PDF (Portable Document Format) file.

 

2. If the File Menu is not available (because Full Screen mode is enabled), or if the printing is to be done from the Strategy Controller, then use the Printer Setup from Windows itself to set Adobe to be the 'Default Printer'.

 

How can I make a Strategy Event which will keep 'firing' all the time that something is 'true'?

Normally Strategy Events are edge-driven so that they only fire when a change occurs. Therefore in event that says, for example, 'If Bool1 = On' will only fire once, and will only fire again if the Boolean goes to Off and then back to On.

So if you want something to keep firing all the time, for example, while Bool1=On then do this:

 

This event will then 'fire' every 2 seconds all the time that Bool1=On.

This is useful to, for example, make something blink/flash or repeatedly ring a bell all the time there is an Alarm.

 

How can I make something blink/flash on screen?

- Add a Value Based Event called 'Every second & while Alarm=On', and watch 'SpecView.Time',  choose 'Changed' & test against 00:00:00. In the 'Event Control' panel check the 'Enable on Boolean' & choose 'Alarm=True'. (for the Alarm you want, or use SpecView.AnyAlarm for all alarms).

 

- Set the Action to do a Math Function and subtract a Boolean User Variable from itself and store the answer in itself, for example:

Copy From: Bool1

Subtract: Bool1

Copy To: Bool1

(Subtracting a Boolean value from itself effectively toggles the value).

 

- Also add a Value Based Event called 'If Alarm = Off' to check if Alarm equals 'Off'.

- Set the Action to set Bool1 to 'Off'. So that the Boolean is turned off when the Alarm is.

 

Then select the item on the screen you want to flash & set the Color Dynamics using 'Edit->Color Dynamics'.

- When 'SpecView.Bool1 = On' set it to (maybe) red.

- When 'SpecView.Bool1 = Off' set it to white (if the background is white then it'll disappear)

 

It is possible to stop the Alarm box appearing automatically by using:

'File->Preferences->Alarm tab' & unsetting 'Popup Enabled'.

 

How can I position items on a screen & align them to within a pixel & stop them 'jumping' to the grid?

This is done using by disabling the grid from the View Menu, by setting Grid Size to zero & unchecking Grid Lines.

However, although this allows objects on the screen to be positioned manually to within one pixel, this requires very precise positioning of the mouse & so is not recommended.

 

How can I make some text appear on the screen using the Strategy Controller when something happens?

There are a number of different ways of doing this:

- Make some text on the screen (GDW) appear/disappear using Color Dynamics (making the text the same colour as the background color will make it seem to disappear).

- Swap the screen (GDW) to a screen with the text on it. Remember to put a button on the new screen to swap the screen back.

- Use Run External Program to run a program such as Notepad to display a file containing the text. For example:

c:\Windows\notepad.exe  C:\SV3\Furnace\FurnaceWarning.txt

(Change paths as appropriate)

However, to ensure the Notepad window is seen you will need to set RunExtProgDispMode (default: M, which is minimized) to 'N' (normalized) in the [Settings] section of Settings.ini. See Preferences.

 

- Use Run External Program to display a HLP file, for example:

C:\windows\winhlp32.exe C:\SV3\Furnace\FurnaceHelp.hlp

(Change paths as appropriate)

Set RunExtProgDispMode to 'N', as described above.

 

How can I run a Help (HLP) file from a button on the screen?

- Use Run External Program to display a HLP file, for example:

C:\windows\winhlp32.exe C:\SV3\Furnace\FurnaceHelp.hlp

(Change paths as appropriate)

Set RunExtProgDispMode to 'N', as described above.

 

How can I use COM ports 10 and above?

- Firstly to use more than one COM port to connect to instruments the Multport option will be required.

- The default number of COM ports is 9, but SpecView supports up 40 ports. To use ports 10 and above change the MaxPorts setting.

 

Why am I not seeing all the Instrument Parameters I expect to see in the Variables List?

- Uncheck the Short List checkbox on the Variables List to show all the Instrument Variables.

- Or you may need to manually add parts of the instrument which haven't already been defined by Automatically detecting the instrument or defined manually, this is described in Manually Defining Instruments.